Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-07-15

]
common flour you will find my way of
making bread a good one.
First. in regard to the yeast. Many
persons make a large quantity of yeast,
cork it up and set it by; but my expert
ments with bottled yeast have never met
with much success. and | would recon-
mend that only little be made at time.
To make yeast. | boil large handful of
hops in quart of water, keeping them
well covered. Then take a stone jar with
about quart of -four Il handful of salt
and one of sugar. To this should be adj
ded i'll summer a tablespoonful of ginger
to keep it from spelling. When the hops
have boiled half an hour, strain the boil
ing hop-water on the contents of the
stone jar. stir smooth and set away TO
cool. When luke-warm add one cup of
yeast and let it rise, stirring down two or
three times. Then set it in cool place
and keep it well covered. renew yeast
made by this method every two weeks.
Second. the sponge-settlng must be con-
sdered. For this purpose take stone
jar, which should be used for nothing
else, and should be kept well secured and
summed. After beating the sponge with
wooden beater. set 1t over night. In
winter it should be set at about six
o'clock and kept warm until morning.
While on the other hand. in summer, it
should not be set until nine or ten o'clock
in the evening. and in Il place not too
warm, SO that it may rise without becOm-
ing sour. In making your sponge. take
a handful of flour, place it in the stone
jar. and strain tinful of boiling butter
milk over it, Set the remainder of your
buttermlk to cool and when it is luke
warm, put as much more flour into the
jar IL you consider necessary for your
family. straining the luke-warm milk ov-
er it and beating it smoothly until it is
an even. tolerably thick paste. Then add
one tablespoonful of salt and one cup of
hop-yeast This done we leave it over
night, according to the directions given
above.
Third. If we have proceeded carefully
thus far, in the morning we will find our
sponge foamng like soap-suds. Pour
this foaming substance into kneading
pan of flour. knead flour enough into
it to make it stiff enough. Just here |
want to point out what | consider USE
less expenditure of labor which many
cess. | refer to the custom of "work-
ing" the bread half an hour or more
while kneading in the necessary amount
of flour. work it just long enough to
get the flour in, and find that my bread
is not so apt to be tough. Leave it COW
cred now in moderately warm place until
it i light-that is until you find. on tear
ing of a piece, that it is full of cells
honey-cOmbed. When thus far advanced.
| think to work the dough down before
making it inio loaves makes the bread
much lighter When raised again. knead
into loave> at once. using only flour
enough to knead. Work it until the gas
in the bread stops cracking and putting.
Put it into your pans and let ii become
light once more, being careful not to let
it stand too long and begin to ferment
See that the oven is not so hot a to form
crust immediately for the bread should
continue to rise after entering the oven:
and of course a crust formed too soon
prevents it and makes the loaves tough.
"Lightness," it should be remembered,
depends upon the expansion of the gas
generated by the yeast, and anything
which prevents it is injurious to the
bread. Increase the oven heat after
twenty minutes. Let the bread bake
from an hour to an hour and half, ac-
cordng to the size of your loaves. En-
top and bottom. An experienced person
will be able to tell at a glance when the
bread is done without being obliged as
was a young hOusekeeper of whom
| once heard, to carefully cut small
square from each loaf, ere she ventured
to take it out.
Now do not claim that this process of
breadmaking which have given in de-
tail is the only infallible one. You will.
perhaps, prefer to change it a little in
using some kinds of flour. Some flour
makes up better with buttermilk, other
kinds with potatoes and water. If you
prefer the latter method take about three
potatoes, boil them until soft and mash,
pouring enough water on to make the de-
sired amount of bread and working as in
the milk process. You will find your
sponge exceedingly light and foamy in
the morning For my own part. how
ever, like the milk process best, As do
not think the bread gets dry so soon.
Thus far have spoken on the positive
side of my subject-''How to Make
Bread" a word or two now negatively
II